Primarily, food is nature’s way of keeping us going. However, beyond eating and in pursuit of pleasure, humans began to look for other things food could be used for. The answer came in the form of an eating contest, where Joey Chestnut enters.
One man who has made a name for himself in the unique binge eating niche is Joey Chestnut. He is the record holder of many catering competitions. Who is Joey Chestnut? How did he end up in competitive cooking contests? To learn more about the biggest food eater in the world, read below.
Biography (Age)
When Joey was born to his parents on November 25, 1983, we bet they didn’t envision him growing up to be known as a big food eater. The world champion was born in Vallejo, California; and although his parents were together at the time of his birth, they were separated when he was 2 years old. Joey was raised by his mother.
The separation from Joey’s parents may have led to his incredible appetite for food. After being given the sole responsibility of raising her son, Joey’s mother took a job at a restaurant. With her small income, she raised Joey, paying for his education from middle school through high school and eventually he gained admission to San Jose State University.
Joey credits his mom’s cooking for his big appetite for food. His training routine for competitions includes a diet of milk, protein and water which he uses to stretch his stomach.
He first caught that appetite in the competitive world in 2005, when he entered the Fried Asparagus Championship while still at San Jose State University. His competitive career took off after beating top contender Rich LeFevre, announcing himself by consuming an impressive 6.3 pounds of asparagus in 11.5 minutes.
Net value
A multiple record holder and winner of multiple competitions, Joey Chestnut has made big money from his competitive wins and his success has garnered endorsements and sponsorship from food-related brands. With all that income, Joey was able to build up a net worth of $900,000.
Family – Parents, wife
Although Joey proposed to his long-term girlfriend, Neslie Ricasa, in 2014 and the lady said yes, the couple couldn’t make it to the altar. They broke up in 2015. Joey is currently single.
Not much is known about Joey Chestnut’s family. He was raised alone by his mother after his father left when he was only 2 years old. There is no record of him having siblings.
Joey Chestnut Food Records
Joey Chestnut is definitely one of the biggest food bingers in the world. He has an impressive number of world records, including 11 in the kitchen. He fully announced his arrival on the eating contest scene with his win over Rich LeFevre. His breakout year wasn’t just going to win against LeFevre, Joey went one step further by entering Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest.
On his first attempt, he took third place. In October 2005, he set the first of what would later be many world records on the World Championship circuit for eating grilled cheese by eating 32.5 grilled cheese sandwiches in 10 minutes. He quickly rose to become the rival of Takeru Kobayashi who had been the hot dog champion for some time. However, despite a good try, pushing Kobayashi to a new world record, Joey couldn’t beat the defending champion, losing to him in both the hot dog competition and the bratwurst contest.
In 2007, Joey finally beat Kobayashi. After a year that began with victories in Wing Bowl XV where he won by setting a record 182 chicken wings in 30 minutes, he took his new challenge to his rival, Kobayashi. After a long battle against the Hot Dogs, Chestnut narrowly handed Kobayashi his first loss in six years with 66-63 Hot Dogs. He completed the 2007 food competition season with a new world record at the World Burger Championship in Tennessee by eating 103 Krystal burgers in 8 minutes.
Joey went on to win several competitions and established himself as the dominant name in the sport. He graduated from San Jose in 2012 and became a construction engineer. Joey is still a competitive eater and has competed every year since graduating from college. His recent victories include setting a new hot dog world record in 2018 with 74 hot dogs in Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest.
He currently holds 42 records in eating competitions and they include nibbling 141 hard-boiled eggs in eight minutes, eating 7.61 pounds of chicken wings in just 12 minutes (at the same time he consumed 9.8 pounds of ribs), among others. .